It wasn’t easy for the Bobcats on Wednesday afternoon as they took sole possession of first place in the MAAC with a 3-1 win over their in-state rival, the Fairfield Stags.
Quinnipiac and Fairfield both came into the matchup with a perfect 3-0 record in conference play. Quinnipiac, the preseason No.1 in the MAAC conference with Fairfield, the preseason No. 2. This game clearly could be a preview of a potential MAAC Championship showdown.
It didn’t take long for the scoring to start as Quinnipiac got on the board early. Bobcats’ senior forward Courtney Chochol netted two goals in the game, upping her season total to six goals and five assists. The six goals for Chochol matches last season’s tally and ties her career high, just about halfway through the 2023 campaign.
Chochol’s six goals so far also ties the MAAC lead in goals this year.
“I think it’s definitely a goal in the back of my head but I really think about winning every game and just play and see how it goes,” Chochol said on leading the conference in goals.
The offense of the Bobcats wasn’t the only positive takeaway from the game, as Quinnipiac’s defense limited Fairfield’s attack.
“I’m pretty confident in our back line, anytime it goes back there I have full confidence that I’m going to get the ball in the next 10 seconds going forward again,” Chochol said.
The win would continue the Bobcats dominance at home against the Stags, as Fairfield has not beaten the Bobcats in Hamden since the 2014 season.
Quinnipiac head coach Dave Clarke was happy to get the three points and move on.
“It’s three points, it’s four games, there’s still six to go, there’s six other teams,” Clarke said.
Graduate student midfielder, Markela Bejleri, who scored the Bobcats’ third goal of the game, mentioned the impact of a head-to-head win against the other top team in the conference.
“[This is a] huge win,” Bejleri said. “It’s three points but it’s also three points against the other top team in the MAAC and it gives us home field advantage in the future.”
The Bobcats hope to continue to put pressure on their opponents in the penalty box going forward after creating two goals on tough plays in the box today.
“If you get the ball in the box the odds of it going in are higher than if you keep it out of the box,” Chochol said. “As long as we keep getting players in the box and numbers in the box and putting the ball where it needs to be, then odds are the balls going to end up in the back of the net.”
Quinnipiac now has 12 points in conference play after improving to a 4-0 record, with Fairfield right behind them with nine points, even after the head-to-head loss.
The Bobcats will try to continue their success in conference play on Saturday against the Iona Gaels.
